I’ve been to love.fish twice since moving to Balmain, and it’s already one of my favourite hot spots on the Rozelle/Balmain strip. It’s a seafood restaurant with a focus on sustainability and green initiatives from the sea to the plate. love.fish sources all it’s fish from Australia and New Zealand and uses 100% sustainable packaging and environmentally safe cleaning products. Even their waste management systems are environmentally friendly! So as well as being a great place to eat out, it’s also a great example of a local business with a strong, climate-focussed ethic that sets a pretty good benchmark for similar businesses city-wide.

What I love about love.fish: It’s a low key but still classy restaurant right in the hub of Rozelle, and the food is delicious and good for you at the same time. Both times I have visited, the staff have been friendly, accommodating and informed. If you’re visiting on a chilly night, there are blankets and heaters outside and the low lighting both inside and out adds a warm glow to keep you comfortable, and a nice touch of ambience as well. It’s the kind of place you can go to for a special occasion dinner or even just a casual dinner for two. On my first visit I had the salt & pepper hawkesbury loligo squid with pickled green paw paw and the pickled radish salad with green beans, apple and watercress. Both squid and salad were delicious and are definitely on my win list for future visits. Returning with a bigger appetite on my most recent visit, I ordered the grilled trout with eggplant, beetroot and cous cous from the specials menu and was more than happy with my choice, not to mention full! My sister was similarly satisfied with her choice of beer battered nsw rock flathead, and we ordered the radish salad and twice cooked hand cut sebago chips to share. The menu has a good range of grilled/battered fish as well as a decent selection of sides and entrees and an interesting range of biodynamic and organic wines. I’ll definitely be back on a regular basis.

love.fish is open for dining in or taking away from 5pm – late, 7 days a week. 580 Darling Street, Balmain.

Inspired to cook some seafood of my own, tonight I bought some fresh barramundi and poached it in coconut milk and lime juice. I planned to have it with some steamed rice, but because I’m lazy, I opted for vermicelli noodles instead and was quite happy with the results. This recipe is super easy, quick, and involves hardly any prep or washing up..my favourite kind of meal. The flakiness of the barramundi worked well with the rice noodles and the creamy coconut milk tipped this dish into laksa territory only on a much simpler scale, with only a handful of ingredients and a lot less liquid.

Coconut Lime Barramundi with Chilli + Coriander

1 large barramundi fillet, cut in two pieces

400g can light coconut milk

2 tbsp fish sauce

Juice of 2 limes

1 long green chilli, sliced

160g vermicelli noodles, cooked and drained

1 handful fresh coriander

*Serves 2

Place the coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce and half the sliced chilli in a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and place the fish in the broth, poaching for 3-4 mins on both sides. When the fish is cooked through, divide your cooked noodles into 2 bowls and place a piece on each bed of noodles, pouring some broth over the top. Garnish with some fresh coriander and sliced chilli and enjoy!